Polymer-Assisted One-Dimensional Dissolution in N‑Methylformamide Unlocks Highly Ordered Hybrid Bragg-Stack Clay-Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Oxygen Barriers
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) dissolution is a gentle and thermodynamically driven process that enables the spontaneous and utter delamination of layered materials into nematic suspensions of individual high aspect ratio nanosheets. This process is primarily known and extensively explored for aqueous systems. Examples of 1D dissolution in organic solvents are scarce and require selected organocations or complexation of the interlayer cation. This work demonstrates synergistic delamination of synthetic sodium fluorohectorite (NaHec; Na0.5inter [Li0.5Mg2.5]oct <Si4>tet O10F2) in N-methylformamide (NMF) using poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG), which concomitantly acts as a complexing agent driving delamination and as the polymer matrix for a composite. Upon spray coating, the polymer is directly incorporated into a highly ordered hybrid Bragg-stack nanocomposite. The performance as a gas barrier was investigated for a range of PEG chain lengths [MW = 200, 400, 1500, 10000 g mol-1] using O2‑transmission rate measurements. With increasing MW, substantially reduced oxygen permeabilities (23°C, 75% r.h.) were observed, reaching values as low as 0.029 cm3 µm m‑2 d‑1 bar‑1, demonstrating the power of non-aqueous preparation of NaHec-PEG hybrid Bragg-stack nanocomposites.
Source: ChemRxiv
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213534297